PERNET, B.; California State University, Long Beach: Evolutionary questions prompted by the diversity of form and function of annelid larvae

Some annelid larvae cannot feed, while others must feed while in the plankton. Among feeding annelid larvae, particle capture mechanisms are very diverse. I address several questions about how this variation in larval form and function has evolved. I briefly review questions and inferences on patterns of evolution of larval nutritional mode and feeding mechanisms. I also discuss new hypotheses and data on developmental and functional changes correlated with evolutionary transitions from feeding to nonfeeding development in annelids. These observations highlight the need for better-supported phylogenies of the annelids, as well as focused comparative studies of their development, form and function.